He also changed the wording in Psalm 23 — "thou anointest my head with oil," is what you'll find in the King James translation. "But the Hebrew verb does not mean 'to anoint,' " Alter says. "The word that's actually used by the psalmist means 'to make luxuriant' — something like that. It's a very physical word. So after wrestling with other alternatives ... I ended up saying 'you moisten my head with oil.' "

Alter also tried to imitate the rhythm of the original — which was a challenge because Hebrew is a much more compact language than English.

"Words squeeze together," Alter says. For example, in English it takes three words to say "he saw him." But in Hebrew it takes just one. "You know it's 'he' in the way the verb is conjugated, and then there's a little suffix at the end of the verb that tells you it's 'him.' "

He also changed the wording in Psalm 23 — "thou anointest my head with oil," is what you'll find in the King James translation. "But the Hebrew verb does not mean 'to anoint,' " Alter says. "The word that's actually used by the psalmist means 'to make luxuriant' — something like that. It's a very physical word. So after wrestling with other alternatives ... I ended up saying 'you moisten my head with oil.' "

Alter also tried to imitate the rhythm of the original — which was a challenge because Hebrew is a much more compact language than English.

"Words squeeze together," Alter says. For example, in English it takes three words to say "he saw him." But in Hebrew it takes just one. "You know it's 'he' in the way the verb is conjugated, and then there's a little suffix at the end of the verb that tells you it's 'him.' "

Heh. A Jew took out all the "Christological elements" out of the Old Testament.

He also changed the wording in Psalm 23 — "thou anointest my head with oil," is what you'll find in the King James translation. "But the Hebrew verb does not mean 'to anoint,' " Alter says. "The word that's actually used by the psalmist means 'to make luxuriant' — something like that. It's a very physical word. So after wrestling with other alternatives ... I ended up saying 'you moisten my head with oil.' "

Alter also tried to imitate the rhythm of the original — which was a challenge because Hebrew is a much more compact language than English.

"Words squeeze together," Alter says. For example, in English it takes three words to say "he saw him." But in Hebrew it takes just one. "You know it's 'he' in the way the verb is conjugated, and then there's a little suffix at the end of the verb that tells you it's 'him.' "

Heh. A Jew took out all the "Christological elements" out of the Old Testament.

I think he may argue that they were added in later. I don't know if he is Jewish but he is a big name in Religious Studies and he approaches the text from a "non-confessional" approach (which means not from a believer's standpoint). He is known for using literary criticism techniques to analyze the Hebrew Bible.

He also changed the wording in Psalm 23 — "thou anointest my head with oil," is what you'll find in the King James translation. "But the Hebrew verb does not mean 'to anoint,' " Alter says. "The word that's actually used by the psalmist means 'to make luxuriant' — something like that. It's a very physical word. So after wrestling with other alternatives ... I ended up saying 'you moisten my head with oil.' "

Alter also tried to imitate the rhythm of the original — which was a challenge because Hebrew is a much more compact language than English.

"Words squeeze together," Alter says. For example, in English it takes three words to say "he saw him." But in Hebrew it takes just one. "You know it's 'he' in the way the verb is conjugated, and then there's a little suffix at the end of the verb that tells you it's 'him.' "

Heh. A Jew took out all the "Christological elements" out of the Old Testament.

I think he may argue that they were added in later. I don't know if he is Jewish but he is a big name in Religious Studies and he approaches the text from a "non-confessional" approach (which means not from a believer's standpoint). He is known for using literary criticism techniques to analyze the Hebrew Bible.

Yes, seems a rather solid scholar. He is Jewish, though. I'm not saying anything for or against the man, he's a heck of a scholar. But it's always good to know the background as we all bear the biases of our upbringings.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to put this here, in 'Cool in the News,' or as an addendum to the Greatest Thinker threads. I decided to go with this one since it's what first drew my attention to this story.

A fairly young man named Chris Harrison put a pretty amazing graphic on his website, (specifically on this page) that depicts all of the cross-references in the Bible. It is an incredible display of the interconnectedness of the Biblical text. Here's the "small" version of the graphic that first caught my attention:

The website also has a Medium Resolution version (2000x1200, 1.4MB) and a High Resolution version (12000x7200, 109MB). (Don't bother if you have a slow internet connection or you're on your phone.)

After being amazed by that, I looked around his website a bit. The guy is apparently brilliant. His "fun projects" are incredible, but his published research...WOW!

In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to put this here, in 'Cool in the News,' or as an addendum to the Greatest Thinker threads. I decided to go with this one since it's what first drew my attention to this story.

A fairly young man named Chris Harrison put a pretty amazing graphic on his website, (specifically on this page) that depicts all of the cross-references in the Bible. It is an incredible display of the interconnectedness of the Biblical text. Here's the "small" version of the graphic that first caught my attention:

The website also has a Medium Resolution version (2000x1200, 1.4MB) and a High Resolution version (12000x7200, 109MB). (Don't bother if you have a slow internet connection or you're on your phone.)

After being amazed by that, I looked around his website a bit. The guy is apparently brilliant. His "fun projects" are incredible, but his published research...WOW!

Only just finding this, Moose.
Stunning!

I am particularly moved by the “Alpha and Omega” sense of awe created by the outermost arc that contains, literally and figuratively, “it all.”

. . . be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

The most improper job of any man, even saints, is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity.. J.R.R. Tolkien

This tonal shift within evangelicalism away from the dour restrictions associated with religion and toward the freedom and dynamism of a relationship has been ushered in by this new breed of Instagram-friendly, celebrity-surrounded pastors. But with the spread of Hillsong in America — it now has campuses in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Orange Country, and San Francisco — we’re starting to see more and more figures like Lentz in paparazzi photos or Instagram posts with celebrities like Bieber. Some of these pastors are themselves the focus of buzz and reality TV, such as Wilkerson’s short-lived Oxygen series Rich in Faith.

This has been popping up on a few christian sites over the last few days but seems to just now be catching the attention of the major news outlets (I'd link to the NY Times article, and I'd like to read it at some point...but paywall).

More than two dozen current and former Liberty University officials describe a culture of fear and self-dealing at the largest Christian college in the world.

At Liberty University, all anyone can talk about is Jerry Falwell Jr. Just not in public.

“When he does stupid stuff, people will mention it to others they consider confidants and not keep it totally secret,” a trusted adviser to Falwell, the school’s president and chancellor, told me. “But they won’t rat him out.”

That’s beginning to change.

[…]

"[T]he emergency of irregular migration has to be met with justice, solidarity and mercy. Forms of collective expulsion, which do not allow for the suitable treatment of individual cases, are unacceptable."— Pope Francis, Morocco

Rutgers Presbyterian Church in Manhattan's Upper West Side Neighbourhood. | Screenshot: Google

Why even atheists find this Manhattan church attractive

At the centuries old, progressive Rutgers Presbyterian Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, an evolving culture of faith that includes an active pursuit of social justice is drawing atheists among its flock.

“It’s something I never thought would happen,” Valerie Oltarsh-McCarthy, an atheist who sat among the congregation listening to a Sunday sermon on the dangers of genetically modified vegetables told The New York Times.

Despite her personal position on God, McCarthy told the Times she was attracted by “something in the spirit of Rutgers and something in the spirit of the outside world” that caught others like Katharine Butler off-guard too.

She visited the church one day after responding to an advertisement about their environmental activism. She got so involved in that aspect of the church’s work she soon found herself involved in the more traditional parts of the faith community.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this, singing away and all the Jesus-y stuff,” she said. “It was wonderful to find a place larger than me, that’s involved in that and in the community and being of service. It’s nice to find a real community like that.”

[…]

"[T]he emergency of irregular migration has to be met with justice, solidarity and mercy. Forms of collective expulsion, which do not allow for the suitable treatment of individual cases, are unacceptable."— Pope Francis, Morocco